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EMS Mistakes | Common Ambulance Errors

We've all heard about medical malpractice mistakes that take place in our hospitals and emergency rooms: surgical errors, a wrong diagnosis, negligence, medication errors. But not many people discuss the medical mistakes and negligence that may take place before you even reach the hospital - during the most critical moments after your personal injury accident. Do you know about common EMS mistakes and common ambulance errors? Here are just a few things that can go wrong in an ambulance:

· Ambulance crashes. Ambulances, despite their sirens and lights, are one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. In fact, an ambulance is 13 times more likely to crash than other vehicles. In some cases, accident victims may be further harmed when the EMTs that are trying to save them get into a wreck on the way to the hospital.

· Medication mistakes. When you only have a few seconds to react to a medical emergency, you may make the wrong decision. When an EMT received over-the-phone orders from the doctor to give a patient a certain medication, he accidentally gave her 200 times the correct amount - and then watched his patient go into fatal cardiac arrest.

· Wrong diagnosis. EMT often have to act as soon as they are on the scene - whether they are sure of what is going on or not. A person may receive emergency care for the wrong condition, which can be extremely dangerous.

· Miscommunication with the hospital. If the EMS does not accurately report to the hospital what treatment an accident victim has had, the patient may not receive the proper care - or may receive a double dose of treatment. Both are dangerous.

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